October 2023 – Page 2

ANTWERP | Start of construction of second phase of Berchem’s Park Brialmont

The construction of the second phase of the Antwerp district of Berchem‘s Park Brialmont – the remaining subzones of Wolvenberg and the Brilschanspark – has started. There will be places to stay on the water, new park paths, comfortable connections for cyclists, and zones for local events. If everything goes according to plan, the works…

AMSTERDAM | Pokémon at the Van Gogh Museum

Spurred on by Oscar and Thanh, I visited the ‘Pokémon at the Van Gogh Museum‘ in Amsterdam. A good reason to visit the Van Gogh Museum, as I never did before.

REVIEW | Brussels to Athens with Brussels Airlines Airbus A319, in business class, early morning

During a lovely dinner in February 2023, Steve, Philippe and I decided to visit Athens during the – Catholic – Easter Holiday. As I was lucky to have the full Easter weekend – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – off, I booked flights and a room. Steve and Philippe arrived in the capital of Greece two…

Flanders’ art cities residents still proud of their city, but highlight drawbacks of tourism more often

In the period from 12 May to 13 July 2023, more than 7,000 residents of the five Flemish art cities Antwerp, Leuven, Mechelen (Mechlin), Bruges and Ghent were asked about how they view tourism in their city. Tourism creates a certain pride about the city and its sights and landmarks. However, the negative impact of…

REVIEW | VIA Rail Canada night train 15 ‘The Ocean’ from Halifax to Montreal

In May and June 2023, we travelled from east to west across Canada. From Halifax in Nova Scotia to Montreal in Quebec, to Toronto in Ontario, to Vancouver and Whistler in British Columbia. Along the way some night trains and commuter trains, the Niagara Falls and – imagine this – a bus journey. A true…

European Sleeper serving Dresden and Prague from 2024, targets Barcelona from 2025

From 25 March 2024, European Sleeper will go further than Berlin and continue to Dresden and Prague. The capital of Czechia had always been its target, but engineering works in Germany prevented this. Barcelona is a next target.

Lier Walking Tour

For New Year’s Eve 2022 – 2023, Steve and I spent the weekend in Lier, his childhood hometown. We had a dinner party at Philippe‘s but stayed at Guzy, a relatively new hotel. Before dinner, Steve and I explored the medieval town of Lier.

MIDNIGHT TRAINS | Unified Rail Europe? Coping with rail network challenges

Back in June 2021, a company in France called Midnight Trains launched its ‘Hotel on rails‘ project for luxury night train services worthy a hotel experience. Every Friday, Midnight Trains sends a newsletter with some sort of update on its project.

Flanders increases subsidies for Antwerp museums and cultural heritage

Museums, heritage libraries and archives in Flanders will receive an additional 18 million euros annually over the next five years. This brings the total amount of support to 51.5 million euros per year for the period 2024-2028. Antwerp‘s museums and heritage institutions will also benefit from this measure.

Trip By Trip

Month: October 2023